Aerial views of America’s sprawl by Christoph Gielen

Photographer Christoph Gielen takes us on a journey into the American ‘burbs in the book Ciphers. Gielen says of his work: ‘The goal of this work is to connect art with environmental politics and to trigger a discussion about contemporary building trends by looking closely at the ramifications of sprawl – to ask: what is sustainable planning? – particularly at this point in time, when a growing need for new housing is prevalent across the globe’. The suburbs have always been a less stressful place to live than larger urban areas, but looking at photos of almost-identical architecture mile after mile, it’s a little stress-inducing, too!

Christoph Gielen took this aerial photo of a housing subdivision in Berlin
Christoph Gielen took this aerial photo of a housing subdivision in Nevada
Christoph Gielen took this aerial photo of a housing subdivision in Arizona
Christoph Gielen took this aerial photo of Skye Isle in Florida

About the author

Rachel Oakley is an Aussie writer based in NYC with an obsession for the creepy, cool and quirky side of life. Some of her main passions include philosophy, art, travel, and sarcasm.

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